Broken Love Song

Info

Broken Love Song (or Broken Love Story) is a track composed by Peter Wolfe and performed by Peter Doherty. It was first heard by fans when Doherty posted a YouTube video of himself recording the song with producer Jake Fior. This unfinished version of the track was later leaked on the Internet as Doherty re-recorded his solo album with Stephen Street. The song has also been performed by other artists, most notably Edie Lee.

On January 13, 2009, "Broken Love Song" was reported to be track #10 on Peter Doherty's solo album Grace/Wastelands. On February 3, it was made exclusively available for streaming on the Clash Music website.

Peter Wolfe performs guitar on the album version of the song. It is the only track on Grace/Wastelands on which Graham Coxon is absent. When The NME reviewed Grace/Wastelands in January 2009, they noticed Broken Love Song as "...possibly the most prominent hook on an album which, as Pete has said himself, is a rather uncommercial effort."

On June 25, Adrian Hunter announced on the French Dog Blues forum that "Broken Love Song" would be released as Grace/Wastelands' second single, with "Ballad of Grimaldi" as its B side. The single was released in August 2009 on CD, 7" and Download.

The lyrics contain a quote from Oscar Wilde's "The Ballad of Reading Gaol."
Also the song in general is about Pete's time in jail. He is a well known Queens Park Ranger's fan and even wrote a fanzine for them when he was little. He references them with "Hear the loft boys sing, Come on you R's" - Loftus Road was home of QPR football club, and 'Come on you R's' is a football chant

Also when he was in prison he listened to "Free As A Bird" all the time which explains the line" Like a caged bird who might say, John, Paul, George and Ringo, Help me pass the hours away"

Appearing on

Broken Love Song	Peter Doherty	Single	2009-08-03
Grace/Wastelands	Peter Doherty	Album	2009-03-16

Concerts

Roundhouse, Camden	Peter Doherty	Camden Roundhouse, London	2009-09-19
The Other Stage, Glastonbury	Peter Doherty	Worthy Farm, Glastonbury Festival, UK	2009-06-27

Lyrics

Take a broken love song
Keep it by your side
Never be lonely
Find a place to hide

By the west way
Inside the scrubs
How long must we wait?
For they're killing us?
Killing us

Oh
They are the loneliest
They are the loneliest
They are the loneliest
They are the loneliest
Still

Through my cell window
Hear the loft boys sing
Come on you R's
Carried on the wind

Every morning
I'll be singing
Like a caged bird who might say
John, Paul, George and Ringo
Help me pass the hours away

Free as a bird
Would I be
Another dawn creeps up on me
On me
Ah, ah, ah, ah, ah, ah

They are the loneliest
They are the loneliest
They are the loneliest
They are the loneliest
Still

Letters from faceless haters
That'd love to
See my swinging in my cell
Oh I never saw a man
who looked like such a wistful eye,
upon the little tent of blue prisoners
call the sky

They are the loneliest
They are the loneliest
They are the loneliest
They are the loneliest
Still